Feed-water heater



Sept. 23 1924. 1,509,782

l F. sAMUELsoN FEED WATER HEATER Filed Sept. 19. 1921 IIIIII L o o o oooooooo 0000000000 Q illllllllllllllll'll;

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Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEElcE. N

FREDERICK SAMUELSON, OF RUGBY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO .GENERAL ELECTRIC UOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FEED-WATER HEATER.

Application led September 19, 1921. Serial No. 501,703.

To all 'wimmelt may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK. SAMUEL- soN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Ru by, in the county of Warwickshire, Eng and, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed- Water Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to feed water heating in steam turbine 'installations wherein low pressure steam which may be tapped from the main turbine or taken from some other suitable source is utilized for heating the feed water on its return to the boilers. As is well understood in connection with turbine installations, the feed water comprises usually ythe condensate from the main condenser of rtheturbine or such condensateplus the required amount of makeup water. In order to attain a high efliciency the heating steam should do as much work as possible 1n the turbine and therefore may be at the tapping point at a pressure below that of the atmosphere, dependin upon the degree of heatin desired.

y invention relates partie arly to heaters of the surface type in which the water to be heated, for example, the condensate from the main condenser, passes through tubes of the heater serving to condense on the outside of the tubes the heatin steam taken from a low pressure stage of t e main turbine or from some other suitable source, the heating steam eventually going as (wo-led water to the bottom of the main condenser and being removed therefrom with the main condensate and used as a part ofthe feed water.

In heaters of this kind, particularly when operating under pressures below atmosphere, it is an advantage to be able to cool the condensate and heating steam to as low a temperature as possible before it is returned to the condenser and also to extract the maximum heat from the air and no-eondensable vapors carried to the heater with the low pressure heating steam.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a heater or heating arrangement which will extract the maximum amount of heat from the -steam and fromthe air and non-condensable va rs and whichis so arranged as to provide? for the automatic operation of the device over a wide range of varying conditions.

To this end my invention comprises dividing the surface for the exchange of heat into three portions; in the first portion, sufficient surface is allowed to condense the heating steam to be dealt with; in the second portion, the condensate is cooled, and in the third portion, the heat is abstracted from the air and non-condensable vapors thus ensuring that the available heat is absorbed by the feed water to the greatestextent.

invention furthermore comprises the provision of suitable division plates, weirs and orifices to enable the apparatus to operate under widely varying conditions of quantities and temperatures.

In carrying my inventionA into effect accordin to one modification the feed water heater 1s arranged horizontally and has horizontal baffle or division plates directing the steam over several banks of tubes; the condensed heating steam is collected into the lower portion of the heater by means of a double weir so arranged as to pass out the cooled condensattl from the bottom of the heater body and having orifices through which the air and non-condensable vaporsare passed into a chamber where they come into contact with tubes through which the incoming feed water is passing. The condensate and cool air and vapors pass out through a discharge pipe to the bottom of the main condenser.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a feed water heater embodying my invention, and Fig. 2

is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

Referring to the drawing, 5 indicates the feed water heater body. At its two ends it is provided with tube plates 6 and 7 beyond.

which are heads 8 and l9.V The spaces between tube plate 6 and head 8 is divided by partition plates into chambers 10, 11 and 12 and the spaces between tube plate 7 and head 9 is divided by partition plates into chambers ,13, 14 and 15. Extending from tube plate 6 `to tube plate 7 are condenser tubes which may be considered as comprising two groups, 16 and 17, the same being separated from each other by a horizontal plate 18. The group of tubes 16 is divided into two portions b a baiiie plate 19. At the lower right han portion of the feed water heater is a double weir comprising plates 20 and 2l. vPlate 20 has suitable openings 22 at its lower end and terminates just short of ioo parttionplate 18 yso as to provide a passage 23. Plate 21 is provided with suitable passages 24 which are located at a level lower than passage 23. This arran ement provides a chamber 25 between weir plate 21 and tube plate 6, the ends of tubes 17 extending across such chamber. The feed water to be heated is admitted through a conduit 26 which communicates with chamber 10, and is dischargedA through a conduit 27 which. communicates' with chamber 15. VThe heating steam is admitted to casing '5 through a conduit 28 and the condensed heating steam, air and non-condensable vapors are discharged through conduit 29 which communicates with chamber 25. At 30 is a suitable gauge for indicating the height of the water condensate discharged from around tubes 17.

In operating, the feed water is admitted through conduit 26 to chamber 10 from whence it Hows through the lower portion of tubes 17 to chamber 13, thence back through the upper portion of tubes 17 to chamber From here it Hows through successive portions of tubes 16 to chambers 14, 12 and 15, being discharged eventually through conduit 27. The steam for heating the feed water enters through conduit 28 and circulates over tubes 16 toward the bottom of the feed water heater, being required to travel back and forth by baffle plates 19 and 18.

The heating steam is condensed by tubes 16 and accumulates in the bottom ofthe feed water heater around tubes 17. The level of the water in the bottom of the heater is defined by o enings 24 in weir plate 21. The condensed eating steam in Howing from the heater passes through openings 22 and 24 to chamber 25 from whence it is discharged by way of conduit 29 to the-bottom vof the main condenser or other suitable oint. By th1s arrangement it will be note that it is the lowermost strata of the water which is drawn 0H' which means, of course, that it is the coolest water. The air and non-condensable vapors How through passage 23 and openings 24 to chamber 25 where they circulate around the ends of tubes 17 in said lchamber and are discharged by way of conduit 29. The air and non-condensable vapors in passing through chamber 25 circulate around the ends of tube 17 through which Hows the incoming feed water. They thus give up heat to the incoming feed water and are cooled to the greatest ossible degree. It will be seen that the eed water is Hrst heated in chamber 25 by the air and non-condensable gases and by the the'water, after which it is further heated by the water surrounding the tubes 17, and finally by the heating steam surroundin the tubes 16.

The arrangement i's such t at the entering heating steam encounters the feed water in its last passage through tubes 16. B this arrangement I utilize in a most e cient manner the maximum heat from the heating steam, heating the feed water .to the maximum temperature and extracting the maximum amount of heat from the heating steam.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of m invention, to ether with the apparatus which I now consi er to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A feed water heater comprising a casing, tubes in the casing over which heatin elastic Huid Hows and through which feed water to be heated Hows, the tubes into three ortions, a portion over which the elastic uid Hows and is condensed, a portion which is surrounded by condensed elastic Huid, and a portion over wfhich the air and non-condensable gases 2. A feed water heater comprising a casing, tubes in the casing through Vwhich the water to be heated Hows, the water entering the lowermost tubes, Howin through successive layers of tubes and caving the uppermost tubes, a conduit at the upper portion of the casing for the admission of heating elastic Huid, a Weir in the casing which establishes a level of condensed elastic Huid therein, and provides a chamber through which tubes pass, and an outlet conduit leading from such chamber, the air and noncombustible vapors passing over the tubes in such chamber.

3. A feed water heater comprising a casing, tubes in the casing, a we1r in the casing which establishes a level of condensate therein and defines with an end of the heater a chamber through which tubes pass, the air and non-condensable vapors passing over such tubes.

4. A feed water heater comprising a casing, tubes in the casing, a weir plate in the casing which establishes a`\ level of condensate therein and defines with an end of the heater a chamber through which tubes pass, the air and non-condensable vapors assing such tubes, and a secon Weir plate having openings at its lower end whereby the condensate which passes over the Hrst weir plate Hows from the bottom of the casing.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 5th da of Setember, 1922.

' FREDERICK SAMUELSON.

and means dividing 

